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Still Alive in 2018

Benjamin Grimm Jan 01 2018 07:14 AM

Nanette Fabray turned 97 in October.

Edgy MD Jan 12 2018 08:41 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

My wife picked up a ridiculous book about George Washington's expense account the other day. GW famously refused any salary but asked Congress to cover his expenses, which began years of meticulously accounting for everything, making him not only the father of the country, but the father of a great American way of life. The author, as it turns out, was TV columnist and humorist Marvin Kitman, now 88 and apparently still alive in 2018. According to Wikipedia, he's written two humorous but extensively researched books about GW, so I guess this (from 1970) was one.

Edgy MD Jan 24 2018 09:03 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Dodger great and Boy of Summer Carl Oiskine is recovering from a fall and subsequent hip surgery at 91.

Mets Willets Point Jan 25 2018 08:57 AM Re: Still Alive in 2018

My wife picked up a ridiculous book about George Washington's expense account the other day. GW famously refused any salary but asked Congress to cover his expenses, which began years of meticulously accounting for everything, making him not only the father of the country, but the father of a great American way of life. The author, as it turns out, was TV columnist and humorist Marvin Kitman, now 88 and apparently still alive in 2018. According to Wikipedia, he's written two humorous but extensively researched books about GW, so I guess this (from 1970) was one. I read The Making of the Prefident 1789: The Unauthorized Campaign Biography which covered the first presidential election in the style of 20th century tabloid media. It was kind of annoyingly sarcastic, but had some interesting points.

Chad Ochoseis Jan 25 2018 09:19 AM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Edgy MD wrote: Dodger great and Boy of Summer Carl Oiskine is recovering from a fall and subsequent hip surgery at 91. There are a few other surviving 1952 Dodgers, but among those Roger Kahn interviewed for The Boys of Summer, he's the last one standing.

RealityChuck Jan 25 2018 10:19 AM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Edgy MD wrote: My wife picked up a ridiculous book about George Washington's expense account the other day. GW famously refused any salary but asked Congress to cover his expenses, which began years of meticulously accounting for everything, making him not only the father of the country, but the father of a great American way of life. The author, as it turns out, was TV columnist and humorist Marvin Kitman, now 88 and apparently still alive in 2018. According to Wikipedia, he's written two humorous but extensively researched books about GW, so I guess this (from 1970) was one. Kitman was TV critic for Newsday for several years. He often would review commercials instead of the show because they were more entertaining.

Edgy MD Jan 25 2018 10:31 AM Re: Still Alive in 2018

He also developed a TV show based on Jim Bouton's Ball Four, and surprised (and, perversely, delighted) himself, by somehow making a show that was worse than the dreck he was panning in his column every week. It lasted five weeks.

Frayed Knot Jan 25 2018 12:52 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

He was also an army buddy of my father's.

Benjamin Grimm Jun 26 2018 12:33 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Author Beverly Cleary turned 102 years old in April.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 01 2018 05:44 AM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Today is Olivia de Havilland's 102nd birthday.

Frayed Knot Jul 01 2018 01:57 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Today is Olivia de Havilland's 102nd birthday. She looks great.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 18 2018 03:03 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Herman Wouk, author of Winds of War and The Caine Mutiny, turned 103 this past May.

Frayed Knot Sep 19 2018 08:32 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

My guess would have been that Herman Wouk died decades ago. I knew Roger Angell was alive though and he turns 98 today (Wed).

Edgy MD Sep 20 2018 09:04 AM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Man, you would've been embarrassed if that blood clot proved fatal and you pre-deceased Herman Wouk!

Frayed Knot Dec 07 2018 07:47 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

I noticed in an obituary to actor Ken Berry a 'Farewell old friend' message from fellow F-Troop member Larry Storch [aka: Corporal Agarn] who'll turn 96 in the opening week of 2019 (assuming he makes it).

Edgy MD Dec 08 2018 01:48 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

How amazing to have read so many headlines that said some variation on MAMA'S FAMILY ACTOR KEN BERRY DIES. That's what his definitive role was?

Frayed Knot Dec 08 2018 01:55 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

The headlines I saw only said 'F-Troop', which is good seeing as I barely knew 'Mama's Family' existed much less that Berry was in it. But MF lasted six seasons and F-Troop only two (although two seasons in those days meant 65 episodes) so maybe that was their point.

Mets Willets Point Dec 08 2018 02:06 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

It's a spin-off of the Carol Burnett Show, which was an iconic program for a certain generation, so it's not too surprising if that's what people were familiar with.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Dec 08 2018 02:07 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Everyone knows Ken Berry is most famous for the attempt to launch a Brady Bunch spinoff, only instead of being a remarried divorcee or widower with a new family, he was the adoptive parent of three boys: One black kid, one asian kid and one regular white kid. I guess that show never took off except to be a fake a Brady episode

Benjamin Grimm Dec 08 2018 02:10 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

It's like the headlines that said that Stan Lee was the guy who did cameos in Marvel movies. I definitely associate him more with F-Troop. I had forgotten that he was on Mama's Family, which I never watched. After F-Troop, I think of that back-door spinoff pilot that took up an episode of The Brady Bunch. Berry played a friend of Mike and Carol Brady who, with his wife, was planning to adopt three boys of various ethnic groups. (I forget the details.) I think the show was going to be called Kelly's Kids.

Mets Willets Point Dec 08 2018 02:12 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Benjamin Grimm wrote: It's like the headlines that said that Stan Lee was the guy who did cameos in Marvel movies. Or the headlines upon the death of Richard Harris that declared him to be "Harry Potter Star Richard Harris."

John Cougar Lunchbucket Dec 08 2018 02:15 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Golly we posted that at the same time. The white kid was Bobby Brady's irl little brother. The plot was they adopted the white kid who missed his orphanage buddies so they consider adopting more only to be shocked when they discover his friends are black and asian and learn the true meaning of tolerance. Underpinning it was the idea of springing this new family on the Brady's neighborhood would lead to no end of wacky weekly adventures

Edgy MD Dec 08 2018 03:16 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

This is all true. Ken Berry's Accomplishments in Order of Importance [list=1][*]Bringing rock 'n' roll to the Wild West in F-Troop. [youtube]L2jgIQBzQZk[/youtube] [/*:m] [*]Apparently winning all of Mayberry from Andy Taylor and getting Aunt Bea in the bargain in Mayberry, RFD.[/*:m] [*]The Kelly's Kids failed back-door pilot episode of The Brady Bunch.[/*:m] [*]The episode of Fantasy Island where gets off the plane and Tatu says, "I bet I know what his fantasy is — to have an affair with a beautiful woman" and Mr. Roarke is all, "Wrong, my friend, he wants to have an affair with two beautiful women," but the women end up being identical twins, one athletic and free spirited and other urbane and stylish, who are fiercely jealous of each other, and he gets more than he bargained for, and OH! how the hyjinx ensue.[/*:m] [*]Playing Eunice's brother in Mama's Family when they can't get any other Carol Burnett Show actors or even guest stars on board.[/*:m] [*]Being the comic relief in Dr. Kildare.[/*:m] [*]Bringing his old dancing skills to the forefront playing a guy looking to borrow $$ from Mr. Mooney's bank to start a dance studio on The Lucy Show. [youtube]_WXi-CG3R0k?t=1205[/youtube][/*:m][/list:o]

batmagadanleadoff Dec 08 2018 04:04 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Rookie Tom Seaver struck him out to record the last out of the 1967 All Star game. Pivot: How many of youse thought the Carol Burnett show was very funny? I though it was way overrated, with the gags mainly dry and contrived and the ratio of length of setups to punchline payoffs ridiculously high.

Mets Willets Point Dec 08 2018 06:32 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Pivot: How many of youse thought the Carol Burnett show was very funny? I though it was way overrated, with the gags mainly dry and contrived and the ratio of length of setups to punchline payoffs ridiculously high. I remember liking it, but I was also about 5 years old the last time I watched it.

d'Kong76 Dec 08 2018 07:30 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

I dunno about TCBS, it was as funny as anything else available on the 7-8 channels we had back then. I wasn't really watching the show and seeing dry and contrived, nor analyzing the ratio of lengths of setsups/punchlines at such a young age. Silly TV was big in the late 60's well into the mid 70's. Mama's Family was just god awful, it's like they went out of their way to make it bad on purpose or something.

batmagadanleadoff Dec 08 2018 08:28 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

It's on every day on weeknights at 11Pm on ME TV in a half hour condensed version. It was a contemporary of All in the Family and The Odd Couple and MTM and the original SNL. And if you scrutinized the reviews you'd come away thinking that Carol Burnett was Charlie Chaplin, Mark Twain and Groucho and Harpo Marx all rolled into one.

d'Kong76 Dec 08 2018 08:37 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Silly TV.

MFS62 Dec 08 2018 08:38 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Since I love Lucy was mentioned, I must admit that I never loved Lucy. While Lucille Ball was a very successful businesswoman, I never liked the character Lucy. She was the opposite of what modern young women should want to become. In every episode, she would do something dumb, then need her husband to get her out of her self-inflicted situation. She was the anti-woman's lib example. Later

d'Kong76 Dec 08 2018 08:44 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

I'll burn my ILL dvd box set tomorrow...

MFS62 Dec 08 2018 08:51 PM Re: Still Alive in 2018

d'Kong76 wrote: I'll burn my ILL dvd box set tomorrow... My wife loves her. They have the same birthday (August 6th) and the same initials LB. Of course she also roots for the MFYs. The things I've had to put up with for 51 years. Later

John Cougar Lunchbucket Dec 09 2018 05:13 AM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Wasn't a watcher of Carol Burnett but I got same impression batmags did.

cooby Dec 09 2018 06:08 AM Re: Still Alive in 2018

I loved Ethel more

d'Kong76 Dec 09 2018 08:34 AM Re: Still Alive in 2018

Buncha grumps ya'll are... [youtube:2htz75l8]VDkZVHt_ht8[/youtube:2htz75l8]

Benjamin Grimm Dec 09 2018 08:48 AM Re: Still Alive in 2018

I have a high regard for Carol Burnett. It's been a long time since I've watched her show, and I'm sure that some of the sketches were duds, but a couple of years ago, after re-watching Sunset Boulevard I sought out some of her old "Nora Desmond" videos and they were still very funny.

RealityChuck Dec 09 2018 09:23 AM Re: Still Alive in 2018

MFS62 wrote: Since I love Lucy was mentioned, I must admit that I never loved Lucy. While Lucille Ball was a very successful businesswoman, I never liked the character Lucy. She was the opposite of what modern young women should want to become. In every episode, she would do something dumb, then need her husband to get her out of her self-inflicted situation. She was the anti-woman's lib example. Later Even without that, she just wasn't all that funny. I didn't like the fact that she was dumb (but not dumb enough to be funny, like Gracie Allen) and that everything was so contrived.

Edgy MD Dec 10 2018 10:20 AM Re: Still Alive in 2018

I actually didn't mention I Love Lucy, but The Lucy Show, in which the real funny guy was Gale Gordon, who was a master of playing the stiff, uptight guy getting subverted by a screwball, which he brought to bear in multiple Lucy projects, but also in Dennis the Menace. A good "slow burn" guy. Gale Gordon, alas, is not still alive.